Home & Garden

CONWAY, Ark. -- The University of Central Arkansas's Conserving Arkansas's Agricultural Heritage (CAAH!) project will host Seed Swaps around the state throughout the spring.

The event is co-sponsored by the Arkansas Sustainability Network, churches, garden coalitions, libraries, the Ozark Folk Center State Park, the Southern Seed Legacy, farmers and gardeners.

The participants in these swaps strive to conserve the heritage of Arkansas as they share good stories, beautify their yards, feed their friends and family and trading open-pollinated seeds. Participants are invited to bring open-pollinated (heirloom) seeds, bulbs, plants and stories to swap with other seed savers at any of the swaps. If you have no seeds to swap, but want to get started, come mingle with gardeners and farmers who can help.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Winter blew into the state with its typical chilly introduction, leaving many electric utility customers challenged with both staying warm and managing the costs that go with it.

Entergy wants to remind customers they have the power to save money and stay comfortable by following a few simple steps to help keep winter’s cold outside where it belongs while also helping keep energy costs more manageable.

“Heating a home can account for as much as half of the monthly energy bill,” said Oscar Washington, customer service manager for Entergy Arkansas, Inc. “Cold air can be an expensive, unwanted visitor, finding its way through many openings that often go unnoticed, such as wall seams, attic doors, and electrical outlets. Small spaces can add up to big energy losses.”

Although there are lots of things homeowners can do to protect themselves against cold weather, here are the top five energy savers:

This time of year is bustling with holiday travels and families are preparing to gather for the season.

The unfortunate reality is that some of our favorite things can lead to the spreading of bedbugs this holiday season. Intense travel, like that during the holidays, allows the pests to spread from one location to another.

Although they are found in beds, many neglect to think of other places bedbugs can be found. Sitting on a plane or in the seats waiting at your terminal before boarding can be a prime time for bedbugs to latch on from the previous sitter. They won’t begin biting until you’re settled such as on the long flight or once you’ve reached your bed that night (whether it be at home, a hotel or family’s house).

Many families take in a holiday movie. Unfortunately movie theaters have become a place where bedbugs spread as well. Even a stack of coats at holiday parties can spread bedbugs.

A public service announcement from the Fire and Emergency Services Department of the City of Pine Bluff:

Cooking fires continue to be the most common type of fires experienced by U.S. households. This is even more apparent during the holidays. There is an increased incidence of cooking fires on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day.

Preventing plumbing problems in the kitchen during the Thanksgiving holiday is easy as pie if cooks know the dos and don’ts of their garbage disposals.

But year in and year out the Thanksgiving holiday brings a spike in emergency calls to the plumber for malfunctioning garbage disposals and clogged drains. In fact, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers.

“We want to make this holiday enjoyable for our customers, so we’re available in case a plumbing disaster happens,” said Glenn Gallas of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Arkansas. “Our service professionals take a great deal of pride in being a hero for our customers.

With a house full of family and friends, more leftovers go down the drain.

Spiders are associated with Halloween, but the arachnids will most likely be seen throughout the winter in homes due to the warm summer we experienced. Often popping up after people bring holiday decorations or winter clothing out of storage, Terminix, the nation’s largest pest control company, has a few tips for prevention and protection to limit number of infestations and incidents of bites.

Why do spiders invade homes?

Like most pests, spiders are opportunistic and invade homes out of convenience. Human structures often provide a sheltered environment and can provide easy access to other insects.

Carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns an age-old Halloween tradition. However, it can turn into a plumbing nightmare if the pulp and seeds go down the garbage disposal.

With the usual increase in clogged kitchen sink drains and jammed garbage disposals plumbers see this time of year, Mr. Rooter Plumbing is already prepared for the spike in calls.

"We stay busy during Halloween because people don’t realize the pumpkin’s stringy, slimy substance hardens and sticks to the pipes,” said Glenn Gallas of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central Arkansas. “Our service professionals are on call 24/7, so we can repair the plumbing emergency and get our customers back to their Halloween activities and guests.”

The trick to keeping pumpkin pulp and seeds from causing plumbing problems is being cautious when removing and disposing of the remains.